"The Nutcracker" 2011 - Sacramento Ballet

This year, the people I knew, or knew of, were mostly in Cast 2 (but I saw Cast 3 instead).

Amongst the kids I knew of, Cast 2 featured Viktoria Anderson (I work with her dad), and Declan Smith and Jacob Navas (from DMTC). The Salmon brothers (Campbell and Christian) were also in the show (plus Anastasia Salmon?) And Alex Stewart is a DMTC alumnus too!

In Cast 3, Serrah-Gayle Neal (a young 11-year-old) played Clara, and Luke Westerman played Fritz.

Alexandra Cunnigham was a true delight in the show. Just amazing! The Flakes were excellent too. Stefan Calka was at the height of his powers. Just great!

I was seated in the front row of the cheap seats. There was a crankish fellow sitting next to me who occasionally turned around, because there was a four-year-old girl somewhere behind him who occasionally muttered to herself.

There were several nine-year-old girls behind me, and I could occasionally hear what they said. "I want to be the Sugar-Plum Fairy," one said. During the Arabian divertissement, one of the girls was getting excited by what she saw. When she saw Alexandra Cunningham do an attitude derriere and reach back to hold her ankle, the ambitious little girl whispered "I can do that!"

The crankish fellow sitting next to me started humming with 'Waltz of the Flowers', and also started picking his nose, and I could sense the little girls behind me were becoming appalled.

The coolest calendar! Or, I should say, the hottest! A joint project of Sacramento Ballet and the Firefighters Burn Institute, with proceeds divided between the two organizations. I bought one instantly.


Question time! Let's see, clockwise from left: Annali Rose Clevenger and Stefan Calka (Grand Pas de Deux), Emily Hite, (is that Nicole Haskins?), Alex Stewart, Alexandra Cunningham?, Colby Damon, Ron Cunningham, and Serrah-Gayle Neal